Plutonium commonly forms Pu3+ Pu4+ Pu5+ Pu6+ in introductory ionic compounds.
| Element | Plutonium |
|---|---|
| Symbol | Pu |
| Atomic number | 94 |
| Common ionic charge | +3, +4, +5, +6 |
| Common ions | Pu3+, Pu4+, Pu5+, Pu6+ |
Images are used as visual references; charge rules still depend on the compound.
Plutonium is [Rn]5f6 7s2, at the exact point where 5f electrons hover between joining bonds and hiding — so neighboring oxidation states differ by whisker-thin energies. The famous consequence: Pu4+ can disproportionate into +3, +5, and +6 partners, an equilibrium no other element stages so completely.
This is a classroom reference range, not an exhaustive list of all oxidation states.
Assuming one 'plutonium chemistry' exists. Process chemists must pin plutonium to a chosen state (usually +4 for PUREX extraction) with redox reagents, or it wanders between states mid-procedure. Its charge indecision — plus six crystal forms of the metal — makes it many chemists' vote for the most complicated element.
Two O at -2 give Pu = +4 — the anchor state. Pu-238's version of this same oxide, glowing softly from decay heat, has powered every Mars rover and both Voyagers beyond the heliopause.
Plutonium chloride
Pu3+ balances chloride ions.
Plutonium oxide
Plutonium can form oxides where total positive and negative charge balances.
Pu3+ blue-violet, Pu4+ tan-brown, PuO2+ pink-ish, PuO2 2+ yellow-orange — licensed-lab lore holds that a mistreated solution can drift through several in an afternoon, chemistry's moodiest element.
Pu4+ forms the extraction complexes PUREX runs on and the refractory dioxide for storage — it is the state easiest to hold still. Reprocessing flowsheets are, at heart, plans for policing plutonium's charge.
Overwhelmingly nuclear: inhaled Pu4+ particles lodge and irradiate tissue with alphas. Its chemical toxicity is real but secondary — with plutonium, the nucleus writes the safety manual.
Combine positive and negative ions so the total charge is zero — or let the ionic compound calculator do the crossing for you. The full chart lives on the periodic table with charges.
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